A Silicon Valley Technology Townhall Series with Congressional Internet Caucus Leaders and Government Policymakers
Overview | Past Events (2011)
The State of the Net West is the premier West Coast series held in Silicon Valley for Washington policymakers to openly engage the Silicon Valley technology community on technology policy. State of the Net West brings together academic scholars, public interest advocates, and industry leaders on pressing legislative, regulatory and legal technology issues, and channels West Coast thought leadership to inform the technology policy issues debated in Washington, better reflecting the fast-paced evolution of the marketplace.
The State of the Net West series is hosted collaboratively by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University Law School. We expect that the increased interest in and concern about technology policymaking in Washington will make these discussions vigorous and productive.
Congressman Mike Honda kicked off the 2012 State of the Net West event series with the first townhall discussion in Santa Clara on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Townhall meetings featuring other Congressional Internet Caucus leaders and FTC Commissioner Brill are being scheduled on a rolling basis. A full schedule of 2012 State of the Net West events will be posted at http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2012/sotnwest/
In 2011, The State of the Net West included four townhall meetings. Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, led the first discussion in Palo Alto on August 16, 2011 (Listen to MP3 Audio). Subsequent townhall participants included Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (Watch Video), Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo, Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, (Listen to MP3 Audio), and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. (Watch Video)
Scheduled Events:
Past Events:
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo: A Technology Townhall DiscussionTime: Program begins promptly at 9:00 am, check-in and breakfast starts at 8:30 am. Event concludes at 10:00 am. Location: Morrison & Foerster LLP - 755 Page Mill Road - Palo Alto, CA 94304 About: Congresswoman Eshoo was first sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives in 1993, after serving on the San Mateo County, California Board of Supervisors for 10 years. Rep. Eshoo has served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee since 1995 and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which has primary jurisdiction over the Internet and telecommunications. The discussion covered the major technology topics debated in policy and legal circles from California to Capitol Hill. Major themes included the mobile broadband revolution, spectrum and innovation, continued threats to the mobile ecosystem, and the future of video. Congresswoman Eshoo is a leader in Congress on technology issues as a Co-Chair (and founding member) of the Congressional Internet Caucus. The event was held in a townhall discussion format and time was reserved for the Congresswoman to answer questions from attendees on any topic. Venue generously provided by: 
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Commissioner Julie Brill, Federal Trade Commission: A Technology Townhall DiscussionTwo Locations
San Francisco Location
Silicon Valley Location About: Julie Brill was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission April 6, 2010. Since joining the Commission, Ms. Brill has worked actively on issues most affecting today's consumers, including protecting consumers' privacy, encouraging appropriate advertising substantiation, guarding consumers from financial fraud, and maintaining competition in industries involving high tech and health care. There is a high level of current activity at the FTC: Google was recently assessed a record fine by the Commission to settle allegations of privacy violations; Facebook recently settled charges with the Commission over its privacy policy; The Commission recently published proposed changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that would make third parties such as mobile application developers and ad networks that gather information from children under 13 responsible for obtaining parental permission before kids could use these services; The Commission also issued its final Report on Protecting Consumer Privacy, in which it called on companies to adopt best privacy practices. Commissioner Brill answered audience questions on these topics and more. |
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Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren: A Technology Townhall DiscussionTime: Program begins promptly at 9:15 am, check-in and continental breakfast starts at 8:45 am. Event concludes at 10:30 am. Location: Bannan Hall - Room 139, Santa Clara University - 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95053 About: The discussion covered the major technology topics debated in policy and legal circles from California to Capitol Hill. Major themes included: SOPA and how tech can/should remain engaged in DC post-SOPA; CISPA; high-skilled immigration; and patent law. Congresswoman Lofgren is a leader on technology issues as a founding member of the Congressional Internet Caucus and as a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and Committee on House Administration. |
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Congressman Jason Chaffetz: A Technology Townhall DiscussionTime: Program begins promptly at 12:00 pm, check-in and lunch starts at 11:30 am. Event concludes at 1:00 pm. Location: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati - 650 Page Mill Road - Palo Alto, California 94306 About: The discussion covered the major technology topics debated in policy and legal circles from California to Capitol Hill. Major themes included: SOPA and how tech can/should remain engaged in DC post-SOPA (Congressman Chaffetz played a significant role in the SOPA debate as a primary opponent of the measure); High Skilled Immigration/STEM; and Geolocation (GPS)/Privacy. Congressman Chaffetz is a leader in Congress on technology issues and the sponsor of important legislation as a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Congressman Chaffetz serves on the Committee on the Budget, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Committee on the Judiciary, three of the key committees pertaining to the federal budget, setting government fiscal priorities and addressing Internet-related technology. Venue generously provided by: 
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Congressman Mike Honda: A Technology Townhall DiscussionAudio (.MP3) | Video (via YouTube) Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2012Time: Program begins promptly at 9:15 am, check-in and continental breakfast starts at 8:45 am. Event concludes at 10:30 am. Location: Benson Center - Williman Room, Santa Clara University - 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95053 About: The discussion covered the major technology issues debated in policy and legal circles from California to Capitol Hill. Major themes included long-term technology workforce development, economic growth/job creation through STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) and what the recent Congressional battle over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) means for Silicon Valley's engagement with Washington. Congressman Honda is a leader in Congress on technology issues as a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus from Silicon Valley and serves on the House Appropriations Committee and House Budget Committee, two of the key committees in the development of the federal budget and in setting government fiscal priorities. |
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Additional State of the Net West Events Subject to Scheduling:
Congressman Bob Goodlatte: A Technology Townhall DiscussionTime: TBD Location: Silicon Valley, California About: Congressman Goodlatte chairs the Congressional Internet Caucus and chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet. Registration: Please visit http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2012/sotnwest/ for scheduling and registration information. |
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